The objective of the proposed Conference is to interpret the principles and guidelines recommended by the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research as they relate to dental caries research involving human subjects. To accomplish these objectives the proposed conference will bring together persons of diverse backgrounds and interests from dental research and other disciplines. Presentations and discussions have been organized along the following lines. This first session will consist of expositiories by two speakers on the ethical and legal aspects, respectively. Each subject will be amplified by discussants and by discussion from the floor. All sessions will be plenary. Sessions, II, III, and IV deal with the identification of ethical and legal problems in the conduct of three types of caries research involving human subjects: epidemiologic surveys, clinical trials, and behavioral or social research, respectively. A hypothetical research protocol specifying the research questions, study population, and procedures relating to each of these areas will be devised by members of the planning committee. The final session of the conference will provide an opportunity for summarizing the specific ethical and legal concern brought up in Sessions II, III and IV. In addition, concerns not raised in those sessions can be identified and discussed. Three primary speakers, representing the fields of epidemiology, clinical field research, and behavoral and social science, will summarize the specific ethical and legal consideration relative to their respective fields raised during Sessions II, III and IV. They will assess the impact of these considerations on their research domains. The final primary speaker will present an overview of the effects of these considerations on dental caries research, present and future.